


A Good Person

by IcyPanther



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Comfort, Fever, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationships, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Sick Sokka, Sickfic, Sokka (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, sokka whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:54:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26285986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyPanther/pseuds/IcyPanther
Summary: Sokka is miserably sick, feeling like he’s freezing to death while somehow at the same time burning up. And to make matters worse, the only person currently around to look after him is Zuko, who while no longer a bad person is definitely no good at caring for sick people. Or so Sokka thought.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 442





	A Good Person

**Author's Note:**

> **Timeline notes:** sometime after season three, episode sixteen  
>  **Warning notes:** none

Sokka was sick.

It wasn’t quite to the extreme of sucking-on-frozen-frogs-take-that-you-rock sickness he’d experienced and he wasn’t on the delirious scale of cactus-juice-it’s-the-quenchiest, but…

But Sokka would almost prefer those bouts to this burning-up-yet-freezing-to-death with added frog-goose cough, sore throat and weak-limbed body to match, thank you very much.

He gave another violent shiver under the thin blanket Suki had lovingly tucked in around him before she and the others had gone into the Fire Nation town to gather supplies following their rather mad dash escape from the Western Air Temple.

Well, almost everyone else had gone.

Zuko was still here.

Katara had said Sokka shouldn’t be left alone and okay, that was fair even though Sokka protested having a babysitter but it was fine since Suki had said she’d stay with him.

But then they’d discovered that the town was sort of plastered with wanted photos of Zuko and, well, Zuko was hardly inconspicuous. So he and Suki had swapped out and instead of his doting girlfriend to take of him, Sokka now had Zuko.

Zuko, who upon learning that Sokka’s first girlfriend had turned into the moon had awkwardly told him, “that’s rough, buddy.”

Zuko, who upon Aang asking him for a break from hot squats had added ten more.

Zuko, who could barely pat someone on the back let alone offer a comforting back rub as Sokka hacked up his lungs.

Yeah.

That Zuko.

And it’s not like Zuko was a bad person (anymore, and had he ever really been?), not at all. He just…

Didn’t do comfort the way Suki and Katara and Gran-gran offered and what Sokka very much needed when he felt this miserable.

On the flip side they could have left Toph behind who had an even more abrasive style of comfort and encouragement than Zuko and, well…

Sokka winced. 

Maybe Zuko wasn’t so bad.

Although…

Sokka peeked over the edge of his blanket to where Zuko was in the process of setting up a site for their campfire for the evening as assuming nothing went wrong in town (i.e. Aang revealing himself as the Avatar) they’d be staying here for the night for Sokka to rest as the back of an air bison in close quarters wasn’t really good for anyone.

A campfire Katara had firmly told Sokka he could not curl up next to as, and her voice had gentled and she’d brushed a hand through his sweaty hair hanging long and out of its wolf tail, he had a fever and needed cooled down, not warmed up.

Tell that to Sokka’s body.

His teeth chattered in his mouth at the reminder of how cold he felt and apparently it was louder than he’d thought as Zuko’s head jerked up in Sokka’s direction, alarm on his features. 

Sokka coughed at him in place of a wave as his hands were not coming out from where he had them bundled against his stomach under the blanket, and while Zuko’s immediate panic faded there was still a pinch to his brow and he got up from his crouch and headed Sokka’s direction.

“Do you, uh, want a drink?” he asked.

That had not been Sokka’s original plan but actually water sounded nice right now as the cough had made his throat ache anew.

“Yes,” he croaked.

Zuko winced at the sound. 

Sokka used what energy he had left to stick his tongue out and Zuko let out a soft huff of laughter, shaking his head, as he picked up the canteen of water Katara had left specifically for Sokka, and held it out for Sokka to take as though anything was going to make Sokka come out from beneath the blanket.

And he continued to hold it.

And hold it.

“Sokka,” he bobbed the canteen, a touch of exasperated confusion on his tongue. “I thought you wanted a drink.”

“Too c-cold,” Sokka chattered at him.

Zuko, Tui and La bless him, looked at the canteen with a frown. “I’m pretty sure it’s lukewarm at this point.”

“M-me,” Sokka apparently had to clarify. 

“Oh,” a flush went across Zuko’s cheeks. “Yeah. that makes sense. Um, do you still want a drink?”

Sokka let his pitiful look answer that. 

“Okay, um, then…”

Zuko knelt down next to him and pushed the canteen at Sokka’s face, holding it there and Sokka managed to lift his head a couple inches up as it didn’t seem Zuko was going to be assisting (and in his defense he didn’t really seem to know how and that was just… that was so  _ sad.) _

Sokka could feel his entire body trembling at just that effort and before he’d even managed a real sip he was sinking back down, head landing on the sweat-soaked pillow and eyes fluttering.

He was so  _ tired.  _

And so  _ cold.  _

And now he was  _ thirsty.  _

A whimper he didn’t entirely mean to make pushed itself free, followed immediately by a wracking cough that had him trying to curl even more into a ball beneath his blanket. 

This was the  _ worst.  _ He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt this sick before and he had a lot of options to pick from.

“Uh, Sokka?” Zuko’s voice seemed to be echoing from far away. 

And Sokka gave a start as a hand — a  _ warm  _ hand, oh Tui and La, Zuko was so  _ warm  _ — landed on his forehead.

He absolutely did not lean into it with a moan.

Absolutely not.

“Agni!” Zuko cursed and Sokka wanted to cry as Zuko yanked his hand away. “Sokka, you’re burning up!”

No he wasn’t.

He was freezing down.

…

In whatever way that made sense. It so made sense. 

And even with his eyes closed Sokka could feel where Zuko’s hands were now aimed.

At his blanket.

Oh heck no.

His fingers gave a feeble twitch as he tried to hang on, but he couldn’t do anything as Zuko lifted it away and he gave a violent shiver at the sudden cold air outside of his cocoon.

He took it back.

Zuko was a bad person.

“You’re,” he swallowed painfully, “you’re m-mean.”

There was no rebuttal, no gentle push to his shoulder or knock to his head, no sputtering denial, no “Katara told me to!”

Instead...

“I’m sorry,” Zuko apologized quietly, and he sounded…

He sounded  _ hurt.  _

Like, like Sokka actually thought that. 

Because, as Sokka had noted before, Zuko really didn’t seem to understand people, seem to get friendly banter, and definitely missed the point of that exchange. 

And Sokka was an idiot. 

A sick idiot, to be fair, but an idiot.

“‘m an idiot,” he mumbled it aloud, cracking open his eyes.

Zuko was staring at him with confusion.

“What?” Zuko asked and Sokka winced for more than one reason at having to repeat it.

“‘m an idiot,” he said again. “You’re not mean. I’m just c-cold.”

And if Zuko’s cheeks had been pink from the water misunderstanding they tried to match the fevered flush of Sokka’s.

“Oh,” Zuko said quietly, looking down. “I…” he let out a huff, giving a shake of his head before his gaze caught Sokka’s “Sorry.”

“Bl-blanket?” Sokka tried to barter with a smile and while he didn’t get the blanket he got another, lighter, laugh.

Better.

“What about tea?” Zuko offered instead, and he looked not quite sad but... wistful and Sokka’s nose wrinkled at both the suggestion and to get that expression off of Zuko’s face.

“It’s hot,” Zuko said. “And it’ll feel nice on your throat.”

Okay.

Tea sounded great.

He gave a small nod.

“Give me a minute.”

Sokka watched with tired but curious eyes as Zuko picked up Sokka’s canteen again and held it between his hands and took a breath, staring it down.

Nothing seemed to be happening.

Sokka watched for another couple seconds, not sure what it was Zuko was doing, before his eyes fluttered closed and he opted to watch the back of his eyelids and try to curl up more as now that that whole thing was over he was very much cold again.

“Okay, it’s not the best,” Zuko said a few minutes later. “And honestly, it’s really just hot water with some mint leaves than tea, but… well, here.”

And Sokka’s eyes flew open as the canteen bumped against the bottom of his chin and the canteen was  _ warm.  _

“Figured this was easier than a cup,” Zuko said as Sokka caught his eyes. “But, um… do, do you need help? Sitting up, I mean?”

Well, Sokka knew he definitely wasn’t sitting on his own at this point. And if Zuko helped him sit up…

His eyes drifted to Zuko’s hands.

Zuko’s very warm, firebender hands.

He gave a tiny nod. 

And oh yes, Zuko’s hands (and arms!) were just as warm as he remembered as one wrapped around Sokka’s shoulders and pulled him up far more gently than Sokka had been expecting and kept the arm there to balance him as Sokka tipped backwards a bit in a bid to somehow meld with Zuko’s arm.

So  _ warm.  _

He could feel how stiff Zuko was and it only made him lean back more.

“Okay, ready?” Zuko asked and the canteen floated in front of Sokka’s face.

And Zuko might have been on to something as the hot tea felt wonderful going down Sokka’s throat and swallowing it wasn’t as painful as the water Suki had helped him drink earlier was and Sokka shivered at the sudden warmth.

He drank the entire canteen.

By the time he was finished Sokka was practically slumped against Zuko and his arm had shifted to wrap all the way around Sokka to prevent him from falling over, but better than the extra warmth such a position generated was how Zuko had slowly become less and less rigid and far more comfortable to lean against.

And, Sokka hoped, maybe Zuko was feeling more comfortable now too.

“Time for you to lie down again,” Zuko said and Sokka whined in the back of his throat as Zuko pulled his arm away and Sokka was lowered back down to his definitely not firebender-toasty bedroll he was lying atop of. 

But…

But Zuko didn’t pull his warm hand fully away.

Instead there was a careful, tentative rub against his shoulder and Sokka was here for that, absolutely.

“Uncle did this for me,” Zuko said quietly. “When… when I got sick in Ba Sing Se. And… and it felt nice. But,” his hand paused, made to lift away, “if you don’t—”

“Zuko,” Sokka forced his eyes open and leveled his best glare at the other boy, and he was pleased that speech was not painful for the moment and the chattering had stopped. “You took my blanket. You and your firebender-y hands are my new blanket. Don’t argue.”

Zuko blinked at him.

And then another sort of hoarse but genuine laugh sounded and he shook his head, but his hand settled fully on Sokka’s back, gently tracing out a circle and Sokka closed his eyes again.

Yes.

This was nice.

This was what caring for sick people should be and although Zuko wasn’t the best at it to start he was getting better.

He was good at it, all things considered.

Because Zuko was a good person.

“Yur a good person,” Sokka told him, words slurring. 

“...thank you?” Zuko sounded confused but…

But he sounded pleased too.

Sokka’s lips pulled into a smile. 

There.

Now everything was better.

“Get some sleep,” Zuko murmured. “I’ll make sure to wake you for dinner.”

And Sokka corrected himself.

Zuko was a  _ great  _ person.

And with the promise of dinner and a warm, gentle hand on his back, Sokka slept.

**Author's Note:**

> Fic request of sick!Sokka with caretaker Zuko. If you enjoyed it please consider leaving a comment (and the small details make my day!). Thank you to those who do so, your support means a lot ♥
> 
> 💥 **(Like my works? Want to read even MORE? Visit my[Tumblr, icypantherwrites](https://icypantherwrites.tumblr.com) for details.)💥**  
> 


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